Internacional Program
Laboratory Support

The goal of this program is to improve the health of the most vulnerable populations by strengthening clinical diagnosis services.

How does the Laboratory Support program improve quality of life for the most vulnerable people?

Proximity

People living in remote areas can access high quality diagnosis without having to travel many miles.

Equity

More equal opportunities for underprivileged populations, since they attain equal access to healthcare.

Speed, Quality, and Reliability

Greater agility in diagnosis and treatment. Use of standardized techniques and quality controls for checking results.

Since 2008, Probitas has supported 36 laboratories that improve access to healthcare for over 1 million people across 16 countries

The program runs in 5 phases:

Phase 1: Needs Assessment

During the first phase, the Probitas team visits the health center and assesses the situation of the laboratory along with local institutions, laboratory staff, and the health authorities. We jointly identify the needs of the laboratory service at each level of the healthcare system, in terms of physical infrastructure, diagnostic equipment, the level of staff training, and other matters such as access to drinking water and electricity.

Phase 2: Laboratory Adaptation

The second phase involves improving basic infrastructure, (water and electricity installations, work surfaces, waste management area), and supplying the necessary equipment for the basic diagnosis of prevalent diseases in each region. Engineers and other experts play a crucial role at this stage.

Phase 3: Training and Management

The goal of the third phase is to educate and train the laboratory staff on essential diagnostic techniques, (hematology, biochemistry, and basic microbiology), handling and storing samples, laboratory management, and waste handling and disposal. Probitas offers them the chance to install ARIS software (Analytical Request Information System) for managing patients, analyses, and laboratory tests.

Phase 4: Community Health

In the fourth phase, we try to promote transversal healthcare actions with the support of the community and local organizations. Health education is provided, and awareness is raised regarding different topics such as maternal and newborn health, sexual and reproductive health, prevalent disease prevention, sanitation and access to drinking water, and waste management.

Phase 5: Final Assessment

In the last stage of the project, we run an external assessment on the impact and sustainability of the project once the laboratory has been in operation for 24 months.

Current Projects

Laboratory in Kenya

Three laboratories in Baringo Country, North-West Kenya will be refurbished in collaboration with Kaperur, a local organization, and the Ministry of Health in a region with a primarily nomadic Pokot population, where the healthcare system receives scarce resources.

The appraisal of the situation took place in February 2023 and noted that the laboratory equipment in the operating area was running at 28% capacity; as such, most of the diagnoses were based on symptomatology, and no laboratory tests were performed on the patients. Refurbishment works started on the first laboratory in the Chemolingot Sub-County Hospital; afterward, work will begin on the rural health centers in Kolowa and Churo.

The project is also set to involve transversal community-oriented actions in mobile clinics that will provide diagnosis, treatment, and outreach for the Pokot people. A fistula surgery course will be run for medical professionals, and the plan is to perform 20 operations in the region.

Laboratory in Colombia

Two laboratories in the health centers in the towns of Cararú and Taraira will be refurbished in collaboration with Sinergias, a local organization, in the Vaupés Department, an area with one of the highest percentages of indigenous population in Colombia.

A visit to the area in November 2022 showed that people in these towns needed to travel by air, at great expense, to access this kind of test, or they would have to wait many weeks to get their results, which led to delays in diagnosis and the treatment of a range of pathologies.

The project will increase the system’s capacity for diagnosis and resolution in these areas. The emphasis is on basic biochemical and hematological tests that are not currently available, giving the local population easier access to disease diagnosis and monitoring.

In recent years, there has been a rise in risk factors for chronic noncommunicable diseases; however, there is little knowledge regarding the prevalence and rates of these diseases in the region. The project is also set to include health education activities and the creation of outreach and information material to promote community healthcare.

Laboratory in Ethiopia

Refurbishment of a laboratory at the Let Children Have Health maternal and pediatric clinic, in collaboration with the Pablo Horstmann Foundation, which offers free medical care for the entire child population and all pregnant women in Meki. The short-term goal is to make it into a flagship center for detection and treatment, as well as training, research, and the diagnosis of NTDs, HIV, TB, malaria, and malnutrition.

The project refurbished and fitted out the laboratory while providing the laboratory staff with additional skills and knowledge, which helped them to expand the services provided and improve pediatric care.

Laboratory in Paraguay

Chagas disease is one of the main public health issues in the region. However, the people affected by the infection or who have developed the disease are barely detected and only treated under exceptional circumstances.

The project refurbished two laboratories in collaboration with the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) in the second-level health center Teniente Irala Fernández and in the family health unit in Campo Aceval at the Presidente Hayes District in El Chaco, Paraguay.

This project has improved access and capacity for diagnosis, which has led to better treatment of T. cruzi infections and other prevalent diseases among children, such as diarrhea and malnutrition.

At the same time, health education actions were run in the communities to bolster their knowledge of diseases among the population, prevent contagion, and reduce prevalence rates.

The laboratories opened in November 2023 and are currently in operation.

Laboratory in Ivory Coast

Two laboratories were refurbished in collaboration with Anesvad, in the Chiépo city health center and the Iroporia rural health center in the Divo Region, Côte d’Ivoire.

The refurbishment also involved upgrading equipment and installing a laminar flow cabinet in Chiépo to keep the technicians safe as they work with tuberculosis in the laboratory.

The project also ran mass outreach and community education schemes on the importance of using the health centers, especially since traditional medicine is particularly prominent in the region, which can lead to a rise in people with severe conditions who only turn to health centers at the last minute.

Internacional ProgramLaboratory Support